CLEVELAND (March 4, 2009) –The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Induction Ceremony will take place at Cleveland’s historic Public Hall on Saturday, April 4, 2009 and be supported by a weeklong series of events for fans.

Please see below for the latest news and updated information for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Induction Week 2009:

Rock My Soul: A Gospel Music Celebration Honoring Pastor Shirley Caesar Presented by the Cleveland Foundation Sunday, March 29 Allen Theater at PlayhouseSquare Doors- 6:30 p.m. Show- 7:30 p.m. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will honor Pastor Shirley Caesar in a tribute to rock’s gospel roots. Pastor Caesar will perform and various artists, including Musiq SoulChild, J. Moss, Richard Smallwood and Vision, will honor her through music. Caesar has recorded over 40 albums and is a multi-award winner with 11 Grammy, 13 Stellar and 18 Dove awards. She was inducted in the Gospel Hall of Fame in 1982, and is Pastor of the Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church in Raleigh, NC. Other performers include “THE WORD” Church Praise Team, Tyniece Wingfield, Stormy Cleveland and Helen Turner-Thompson and the Antioch Baptist Church Flame Team Choir. This event will be hosted by WEWS Newschannel 5’s Leon Bibb and presented with the support of WEWS and Praise 1300 AM WJMO. Two pairs of upper-level Induction Ceremony tickets will be given away at the event in a special drawing.

This event is free but a reserved-seat ticket is necessary for admission. Tickets will be available at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and PlayhouseSquare Box Offices beginning at noon on Monday, March 9. There is a limit of four tickets per person. Rock Hall Induction Week Concert for Cleveland Presented by the Cleveland Foundation Thursday, April 2 Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center Doors- 6:30 p.m. Show- 7:30 p.m. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame presents a free Induction Week Concert for Cleveland with a once-in-a-lifetime lineup showcasing music’s unique ability to bridge generation and cultural gaps. Come together to celebrate the return of the Induction Ceremony to Cleveland with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees the O’Jays and Dave Mason of Traffic, along with hip-hop legends, Coolio, Whodini and Rob Base. This event is presented by the Cleveland Foundation, 93.1 FM WZAK and WEWS Newschannel 5.

This event is free but a reserved-seat ticket is necessary for admission. Tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets, via phone at (800) 745-3000, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, and in person at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Wolstein Center Box Offices beginning Monday, March 9 at 10 a.m. There is a limit of four tickets per person. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Simulcast Presented by Jim Beam Saturday, April 4 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Doors- 7 p.m. Show- 8 p.m. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will host a live broadcast of the 24th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Museum. Two lucky guests at the Induction Simulcast will receive upper-bowl tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall. Winners will be drawn promptly at 7:30 p.m. and must be present to win. Those guests will be whisked away immediately to the event in rock star style. The ticket give-away will be presented by Cleveland Magazine.

Tickets to the Induction Simulcast are $5 and on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets, via phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, and at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Box Office.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will simulcast the 3+ hour ceremony, including the performances and presentations, which will be broadcast on a giant 12 foot screen on the Museum’s Main Stage and several large screens throughout the Museum.

Monday, March 30—Students Rock! 1 p.m. On The Road, “Rock Hall Inductee Spotlight: The Class of 2009” The Education Department of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will partner with Cleveland’s WVIZ/PBS ideastream® to kick off Induction 2009 by connecting with students around the world via the award-winning distance learning program On the Road.

Case Western Reserve SAGES Program University Seminar “Writing Rock and Roll,” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 3-6 p.m. Rock Hall educators Lauren Onkey and Jason Hanley discuss the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions with Case Western Reserve University students.

“Elite Populism or a Populist Elite? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions” at Case Western Reserve University Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, Clark 206 7 p.m. Lauren Onkey, vice president of education at the Rock Hall, explores the role that the Inductions play in shaping the landscape of rock and roll history, as well as debates over the value of artists and even musical styles that the inductions generate.

Tuesday, March 31—Teachers Rock! at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. This special edition of Teachers Rock invites educators to participate in a dynamic presentation about Cleveland’s role in the history of rock and roll and how it can be incorporated into the theme-based curriculum classroom. K-12 educators who attend will have a chance to win one pair of upper-bowl tickets to the inductions in a special drawing.

Wednesday, April 1 – From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen exhibit opening. The world’s first exhibit devoted to the life and music of Bruce Springsteen.

Saturday, April 4—Free Day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Medical Mutual The public will be admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for FREE all day.

Saturday, April 4—Bobby Womack CD signing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Bobby Womack, 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, will sign copies of his album, The Poet I & II, in the Museum’s Fourth Floor Theater. CDs will be available for sale on site by F.Y.E.

Saturday, April 4—The 24th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts promptly at 8 p.m. For the complete schedule of Induction 2009 events, visit http://www.rockhall.com/induction2009/events.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Induction CeremonyThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 4, 2009 will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997 and will be broadcast live on Fuse TV and online at http://www.fuse.tv. Additionally, for the first time in its 24- year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony were made available to the public.

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

The induction ceremony will be supported by a weeklong series of events engaging thousands of music fans while creating a marquee event that will bring $7-10 million in economic impact to Northeast Ohio along with $20 million in media exposure for the region.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and MuseumThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland. Children under 8 and Museum members are free. The Museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. When you become a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the world of rock and roll becomes yours to explore. Call 216.515.1939 for information on becoming a member. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK or visit http://www.rockhall.com.